A win v Leeds United last weekend, and Tuesday’s Champions League win v Lille have put Mikel Arteta’s boys back on track as they prepare for a trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Forest is currently 15th on the Premier League table with just 5 points after 5 matches played.

With that said, here is my predicted starting XI at The City Ground on the weekend…

[4-3-3]

Eze, Havertz, Saka

Rice, Odegaard, Guimaraes

Calafiori, Gabriel, Konsa, Timber

Raya

Predicted final score: Nottingham Forest 0 – ARSENAL 2

COYG!

Gunner1953

Lille is currently standing second on the Ligue 1 table with eleven points following six matches played. They are 23rd on the UCL’s League Phase table.

Mikel Arteta’s squad is getting healthy again, so the manager’s selection process should be an easy one.

Here is my predicted starting XI on Tuesday v Les Dogues in Emirates Stadium…

[4-2-3-1]

Madueke, Havertz, Saka

Rice, Odegaard, Guimaraes

Calafiori, Gabriel, Konsa, Timber

Raya

Predicted final score: ARSENAL 2 – Lille 0

COYG!!!

Gunner1953!YU

The Manchester City story continues to get worse as the football world continues to have its say.

The bottom line, City cheated, and did so between 2009 and 2018. That’s a lot of matches in a lot of competitions. The club played with advantages while lying, cheating, covering up and ultimately avoiding the financial rules put in place by the Premier League.

Obviously, this league has its haves and the have nots, however, City took their advantage to a completely different level. Did they really think they were untouchable?

Manchester City is an embarrassment not only to English football, but to world football as well.  This needs to be a huge wake-up call to every club around the globe. Cheating does not make the game more attractive, it makes it uglier, as did hooliganism back in the day.

Shame on City.

Here’s what I think should happen as punishment for their crimes…

Pay $10-million (USD) to each Premier League club they faced during the seasons between 2009-2018.

Allow current City players to void their contracts and become free agents immediately.

Handed a 50-point deduction on the Premier League table effective immediately.

Automatically relegated to League Two for next season.

Banned from the Carabao Cup, FA Cup or any other cup competitions for two seasons.

Banned from the transfer market for two seasons.

Allowed to sign players from the National League or other country’s low level leagues to fill the club’s roster beginning next season.

Current ownership needs to sell the the club immediately, and be banned from owning any Premier League club in the future.

Finally, City should be stripped of all trophies and titles won between 2209-2018.

This is nothing to cheer about or gloat about. This is a serious stain on our game, and the punishment needs to be severe and memorable.

Manchester City is not a club of champions, but a club of cheaters.

Gunner1953

Under the Premier League rules, the independent commission can impose several types of punishment:

• Points deduction — potentially a substantial deduction, although there is no predetermined “115 charges = X points” formula.

• Fine — the rules allow for potentially unlimited fines.

• Suspension from Premier League matches.

• Expulsion from the Premier League — the most severe sporting punishment.

• Relegation — this could effectively occur through a sufficiently large points deduction, although “relegation” and “expulsion” are technically different sanctions.

• Player-registration restrictions — the commission can cancel or refuse registration of players.

• Compensation to other clubs — rival clubs may potentially seek compensation for losses connected to City’s breaches.

• Other/combined penalties — the rules give the commission broad discretion to combine sanctions or impose another appropriate order.

What happens next?

The important point is that a guilty finding does not automatically mean City will be relegated or expelled. The sanction itself still has to be determined, and City has an appeal route. Reports indicate City has 14 days to appeal a decision once it is formally published.

So, in simple terms, the range goes from a financial penalty → points deduction → suspension/restrictions → potentially expulsion from the Premier League.

Could Arsenal become a 4-time defending Premier League champion?

Time will tell.

Gunner1953

]]> https://yankeegooner.net/heres-what-could-happen-to-manchester-city/feed/ 3 30096 https://yankeegooner.net/30092-2/ https://yankeegooner.net/30092-2/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:48:25 +0000 https://yankeegooner.net/?p=30092 Manchester City “guilt” isn’t one single scandal. It’s a stack of allegations, legal fights, and financial rule chaos that fans keep circling like it’s a conspiracy board. So if you want the real question—why have they actually been found guilty?—here it is.

First, the big one: financial rule violations. City have been repeatedly accused of manipulating how their spending is reported, particularly around squad-building and sponsorship income. In plain terms, critics argue their books were structured to make the club look compliant when they weren’t.

Second, the challenge of competition rules. Supporters of their critics claim City gained an unfair advantage—basically “break the rules, then buy the league.” And yes, that’s not just a vibes argument; it’s tied to specific governance frameworks and monitoring that other clubs argue City avoided or bent.

Third, sponsorship and revenue integrity. A lot of the controversy centers on whether certain deals and related-party arrangements were properly valued and reported—because football finance is often a maze.

So what are they guilty of? Potential rule-bending if even one piece of that maze is rigged, it can affect eligibility, compliance, and penalties.

The bottom line…it appears Manchester City has been cheating for a long time.

Gunner1953

The good news is that this break is giving a few players some needed rest and recover.

Declan Rice withdrew from the England squad to nurse a thigh problem and to gain some needed rest, while Piero Hincapie also decided to remain in North London to recover from a long stretch of matches, including the World Cup. Jurrien Timber joined his Netherlands teammates, but his playing time has been seriously reduced.

So, what is the bad news?

Kai Havertz picked up a thigh injury during Germany’s recent match v Netherlands , while Martin Odegaard sustained an ankle injury v Portugal. Havertz could be our four weeks, while the Arsenal captain’s injury looks less serious.

I understand the importance of international football, I really do, however, the fear of injury to star players is always a major concern. Injuries during international breaks can have a serious impact on a domestic club’s season. The Gunners started the break with 17 senior players on international duty.

Ironically though, this break did come at a could time for Arsenal. The lads crashed and burned at Brighton, so this time away could ultimately be a good thing for Mikel Arteta’s men.

Cheers!

Gunner1953